Automatic weighing-machine.



H. RICHARDSON. AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINE. APPLICATION I'ILE'D N0V.16,v1908.

' 960,108. Patented ma 31, 1 910.

gamma- 12211 I H. RICHARDSON.

AUTOMATIG WEIGHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1908.

Patel med May 31, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET. 2.

mania?! emyZzZZxrdwZ I Q a I TED STAT S S LE COPY HENRY moimnnson, or NEW YORK," n. Y.

LAUTOMATIC WEIGHING-MAQHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 31, $1910.

Afiplioationfiled November 16, 1908. Serial TNo 462,862.

adapted for use inithe handlingof cotton Tonll whom'it'maycomem:

'Be ifk-QOWIIihfit l,HENRY RJCHARDSON, sect It willzbe understood, howeverythat asubject of the Kingof GreatsBritain, re- 1., have shown one particular embodiment siding aflNeW York in the county of'NeW only of the invention, and that h certain Q York and State of New York,'--'haveinvented chang in. the construction and relative arcertain new and useful Improvements in i'ungenient oifithe parts may be made-in Automatic Weighing -j-Mach'ines, of which adapting the invention to different uses. thefolloiving-iya specification. Thefee d mechanism" embodying rny pres-t My present-inven on relzttes, to'irnprovecnt invention may be appliedto weighingw ments inautomatic Weighingrmachines and inachines of various types and, in the presmore especially-to t-llOJIlQChELlllSH] for feedent instance I have shownit'i-n connection ing the materia'l'tothe weigh hopper, and 'with weighlng machines=of the character it has for its object primarily toprovide a covered by myprior patents, Nos. 7605485 feed mechanism of' -this character which is -and'786,152. As the generalconstruction of capable ofhandlin'g cotton seed nnd other machines of this type, isgfnlly disclosed in material which fiowssluggishly, the present said prior patentgit'will lbe onlyv necessary invention providingsuch amechanismwhich to describe brieflyjthe controlling and" oper has means for feeding the material through ating mechanisn. for .theifeedgate. The the hopper andto the cut-(iiior control-ting frame 'l' supports the 'Weiglnbeam -Q which k'gateW hereby cloggin'gof the'. materiall 'is hasa;counterweight-3 attachedtoone end prevented,also'meanssnchuas a-scraperifor' and its opposite endsupports' the weigh' preventing such material as-i-m ayzidhereflto' hopper 4. Thefeed gate'5 has a-seglnental the gate from'passing into the space between bottom (3 which is concentric With the" axis the gate and the reared'geofthe feed hop- 7 by means of which the gate is pivoted on per, and *also to "provide brush to coopthe'frame, ond thegate isprovidedpreferer'ate"with' the dischargeaedge' of theigate 1 ably at each side with means? for opening when the latter is close i and closing itand for'automatically con -To these and other ends,'tho invention trolling such movements according-.to the consists in-certziin improvements, and coin position occupied by the i weight-beams, a 5 30 binations'andfarrangements of :irts,xnll as crank 8 being attached at each side of 'the willbehereinafter more fully/described,"the gate from which hangs a pendant 9 the novel features being pointed out particularly lower end of which is adapted to beengaged in the claims at the endof the specification. by a projection 10 upon the-weigh ,hopper' In the accompanying drawing:--l'ligure 1 as the latter risestafterdischarging itsload; represents aside elevationiof-theupper por- -such rising-movementofthe weigh 'hopper I tion of a Weighingmachine?equipped with "causing the projcctionthereon to strike the feedmechanism:i constrncted finv accordance pendant; and" the'latter" operating through "with my{presentinvention ;:"Fig. "2 repre-l the crank 8 "will turn theagate 'int0"open fisants aQt-front elevation. of: that portion of mposition. A pair of toggle links llan'd 125 5 9 the machine shownin Figml g parts of'the ware/provided for lockingthergate in'clo'sed "machine being brokenawayflnnd shown in positionythelink 11 being pivotallytatsection{ Ei'gfi3-represents aflw'ertic-al section tached at 13 to the-"zl raineand'the link 12 "through the feedin'gmiechanism; and Fig. provided with an elongated eye-14 which y f i is afdetail se'ct'ionol 'vi'exwof ii -different I cooperates witha pin 15 carried by the gate. form ofscrapernvhich mayi be used instead A drop bar 16 is suspendedfrom'ithe-ginterof that-shown in liigl ii. mediate pivot of. the toggle links anthis fSimilar -parts"aredesignated by the same pivotally attached fat its lower to:vv an "referencechnractersin theqsevernl views. "operating lever' 17, the latter-being con- ;='My presentinven'tion pro idesfeeilniechtrolled by the movements of theweigh'hop- ]1'an'i'sm for" weighing machines ixihereby the per; Tlhisdropbar isprovidedswith n-rollcr titer- Inay be-adapted foryn'se infihc lian myprojection 18 which isoadapted" to' be dling'of ma'terials whicltflowsluggislfly and en'gaged byt a trigger 1.9 preliminarilyttoithe .Fhave a tendency to adherennore 'or less to closing of the. -f eedfigate, this rtriggerlibeing thehopper andgate and, in ,the accompany: mounted upon thefr'amej by meansfoi a ing'tlrawing,= Idiaveshoivn a feed inechanpivotf20 andhasa Weight 21- arranged at onemside-oflfthe pivot and a cam-shaped ,j. ism of this character which v especially operating arm 22 arranged at the opposite side of said pivot, this operating arm being arranged to be depressed as the weigh hopper settles down after receiving a full load,

the trigger being therebydisengaged from the roller or projection 18 upon the drop bar and thereby permitting a complete closing of the feed gate.

The mechanism just described has, in practice, proven satisfactory for the purpose of controlling the movements of the feed gate. It will be understood, however, that thepresent invention is not limited to a mechanism of this specific construction, as other mechanism capable of properly operating the feed gate may be used.

The feed mechanism which embodies the subject matter of my present invention is used in connection with a feed hopper 25 whichis preferably mounted upon the top of the machine frame, it having an opening in its lower portion through which the material may discharge into the weigh hop er which opening is controlled by the eed gate. Above this ho per is mounted a housing 26 one wall 27 0 which is preferably inclined and forms substantially a continuation of the adjacent wall of the feed hopper, and

the opposite wall of the housing has a curved wall 28, an inclined lid 29 and a vertical wall 30, the latter extending downwardly to the feed hopper. Mountedwithin the housing is a primary feeding device which in the present instance consists of a roll 31 the periphery of which is fluted or channeled so as to form pockets or recesses whereby this roll may obtain a hold upon the. material which is fed into tlietop-of 'This roll is mounted preferably in close proximity to the inclined wall 27 of the housing and, in rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow, serves F0 carry the material toward the right in Fig.

3 and under the lid 29, the material being thereby fed to a secondary feeding device which in the .'.present instance consists of a revoluble brush '32 which is preferably in the form of a cylinder having bristles of appropriate stifiness projecting radially therefrom. This revoluble brush is preferably mounted in proximity to the feed ate, it having in the. present instance a she t 33 which is journaled in the feed hopper and the periphery of the brush is spaced a suitable distance from the adjacent wall 34 of the feed hopper thereby. forming a relatively' narrow passage through which the material may fluted roll an brush ma be revolved. in any suitable manner, the s aft of the brush bem provided in the present instance with a pu le or other, power transmitting device 35, an this brush is drivenin unison with the fluted roll by means of a sprocket chain 36 which passes. over sprocket wheels conass to thefeed gate. The.

nected, respectively, to the "brush and roll, the gearing being preferably such that the roll will revolve at a lower'speed as comparedto the speed of rotation of the brush.

The edge of the feed hopper with which an edge of the gate cooperates when the latter is closed is preferably provided with a 1 brush 37 which brush referably projects downwardly from the feed hopper and is arranged to be engaged atone side by the corresponding edge of the feed gate when the latter is closed whereby the flow of material from the feed. hopper into the weigh hopper is interrupted. A deflector plate 38 is preferably hung ,in proximity to this brush 37 whereby spilling of the material" of this plate being relatively sharp. and 18- arranged to bear upon or rest in immediate proximity to the upper surface of the feed gate-so that as the'la'tter swings into open position suchmaterial as may adhere to its upper surfacewill be removed therefrom and thus preventedfrom catching between the gate and the ho per. In some instances,

it may be prefer-a le to employ a scraper- \SblCll as that shown in Fig. 4, the scra' e'r 111 this instance comprising a plate 41 the ower edge of which is adapted to cooperate with the upper surface of thefeed gate and its upper portion is provided on its under side.

with a longitudinal groove 42 with which anupturned flange 43 upon a plate 44 co-' operates, A spring-plate45 is arranged to;

bear upon the upper side of the late 41 and it'serves to yieldingly retain t e plate in cooperative relation with the ,feed gate, although the plate is capable of a pivotal movement upon the flange 43. The plates 44 and 45 are arranged at the u per and lower sides of the rear wall of the eed hopper and may be secured in position by means of suitable screws or bolts 46.- In eqder trv facilitate the closing of the gate, a weight 47 is preferably attached thereto at the rear sideot' the pivotal center 7 of the ate. A register .48 may also be provided, t e register being attached to the a link 49 and crank 50.

The material to be weighed is fed in any suitable manner into the top of the housin gate by means of and the pulley 35 is revolved continuous y o by a belt or otherappropr ate means. The -material'entering the hOuSing fir'st encounters thefluted roll which revolves in the through the space "between it and the wall "'34 of the feed hopper ando'nto the feed 'gate.

poems in theperiphery of thisyroll' cause the ma terial to be carried under the lid29 and over the revoluble brushl 32.-f*'[-hisbrush acting upon the material causes the sameto' pass The latter will stand in an open position when the weigh hopper empty, and the -'.material is'then free todischarge from the feed hopper intothe weigh hopper. "When the latter has received approximately afull load, it will settle downwardly, causing corresponding movement of the drop bar 16 which, acting upon the toggle links will cause the gate to be partially closed, the

. drop bar being intercepted in its downward movement by thetrigger 19 which engages the roller or projection 18 on the drpp -bar. A small quantity of the material continues to dischargethroughflthe gate until the weigh hopper has received a full charge. YVhile a reduced quantity of the material is flowing into the weigh hopper through the small opening in the feed gate, the revolving motion of the brush serves to advance the material to the gate evenly so that clogging or other unevenness in the feed is prevented. When the weigh hopper is fully loaded it will descend farther, causing the trigger to release the drop bar and the latter in turn will unlock the toggle links and thus permit the gate to fully close under the influence of the weight 47. After the hopper has discharged its load, it will rise, the drop bar rising and unlocking the toggle links, and the projection 10 upon the weigh hopper will strike the pendant which in turn will swing the gate into open position whereby the weigh hopper may receive another charge of material.

Feeding mechanism constructed in accordance with my present invention provides means foruniformly feeding cotton seed and other material which is lumpy and sluggish in its movements and has a tendency to clog,

the mechanism being simple and inexpensive in its construction and it may be applied.

with facility to weighing machines of various types. By providing a scraper for removing such material as may adhere to the upper surface of the feed gate, sticking ot' the latter owing to the accumulation of material between it and the adjacent edge of I the hopper is prevented, and by providing the brush to cooperate with the gate when the latter is fully closed, the flow of the material into the weigh hopper may be interrupted in such manner as to prevent any leaka e of the material past the gate when 'ClGSBli and there is no liability of the gate catching while in its closed position.

I claim as my invention 1. Feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a hopper having a discharge gate in its bottom, and a revoluble feeding d'evicejmoun'ted, in the hopper above said gate, one wall of the hopper; be ng curved substantially about the axis the feeding device and leading to said ate, .a

A curved feed passage being thereby ormed between-the ho'ppe'r and the feeding device.

2'. Feed mechanism for. weighing -machines compris nga. hopper having a dis- 'chargegate in its bottom, and a cylindrical brush iieederpmounted in the hopper, one

wall ot the'liopperbeing curved at a level' below fthe axis of the brushto conform substantially to thecurvature thereof, and hav; ing its end terminating at .ajpoint to direct the materialin a transverse direction across the top of the gates, H c

Feed mechanism for weighing anachines fcomprising a hopper having a de revoluble feeding device mounted in the hopper above said gate, the front wall ofthc hopper being curved to conform approximately to the curvature of the teeding'device and the rear wall of the hopper sloping toward the gate in .a' reverse direction, the curved front wall of the hopper iforming a discharge for the material at a point above the gate and being positioned to direct the :35 presseddischarge gate in. its bottom, and :a

material against the rear wall of the hopper. 4. Feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a feed hopper, a gate controlling the discharge ofmaterial therefrom,

and primary and secondary fieeding devices mounted on parallel axes within the hopper, the secondary feeding device being arranged adjacent to the gate, and means tor driving the secondary feeding device at agrea-ter speed relatively to the speed of the primary feeding device.

5. Feed mechanism for weighing inachines comprising a feed hopper, a ,gate controlling the discharge of material therefrom and having front and rear walls sloping toward said gate, a primary feeding device arranged adjacent to the rear wall of the hopper and a secondary feeding device arranged in immediate proximity to the front Wall of the hopper, the latter being curved'soas to direct the material in an approximately hor-izontal plane as itapproaches the gate.

6. Feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a feed shopper, a gate controlling the discharge of material therefroi-n, .a fluted roll located toward the receiving opening in the hopper and arranged at one side of the gate, and a revoln-ble EbIUSll located adjacent to the feed gate and toward the opposite side of the same for promoting the flow of material thereto. 7

'7. In weighing machines, the combination of a feed hopper, a gate controlling the discharge of material .therefrom,--a brush arranged to engage at one of its sides with an 1 edge of the gate when the latter is closed whereby the flow of material from the hopper may be interrupted and a deflector plate arranged adjacent to and depending below said brush.

8. In a weighing machine, the combination" of a feed hopper, a gate for controlling the discharge of material therefrom, and a scraper having a yieldably supported but rigid edge which forms a closure between the gate and one wall of the hopper, said scraper being cooperative with the gate to remove material adhering to the upper surface thereof during its opening movement.

9. Feed mechanism for weighing machines comprising a-feed hopper having an opening for the discharge of material, a reciprocatory feed gate mounted to cover and uncover said opening, and a scraper having a substantially rigid edge which is yieldably supported upon oneedge of the opening in the hopper to form a'closure 10. Feed mechanism for weighing Inachines comprising a feed hopper, a gate pivotally mounted relatively thereto and having a segmental bottom, and a scraper mounted yieldably on the hopper and having an edge forming a closure between the gate and one wall of the hopper and ar ranged to cooperate with the upper surface of said gate to remove material adhering thereto during its opening movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit: nesses.

, HENRY RICHARDSON.

\Vitnesses:

RoBEn'r S. SIEGEL, NELLIE M. ETTWEIN. 

